The training dummy's wooden body fractured as Zhou landed blow after blow on its body. His efficiency at using a pole had greatly increased in the past 2 weeks. While his skills didn't translate very well to a sword and the sword was still a bit heavy for him, Ye had made him learn the basics of using a sword.
"Still too slow. Again," Ye ordered. Zhou let out a breath and got into position, swinging again. His hits landed, quick and sharp. He went through a full cycle of attacks before going back into a neutral position, the pole parallel to his body.
"You still need to be faster Zhou," Ye said, handing him a flask. Zhou frowned and chugged the water, wiping away the droplets that had escaped.
"Why? Even Gong said that he wouldn't be able to see or even block the attacks if he tried," Zhou asked.
"Yes, but Gong is only slightly stronger than you, barely even a full rank difference. If you wish to fight against spiritual beasts and other cultivators, you need to be fast. You are already at a disadvantage for not using a sharp weapon, so you must make it up with speed," Ye explained. He took back the flask, also taking a swig from it.
"Prove it," Zhou said, making Ye look at him with surprise.
"Prove what?" Ye asked. Zhou walked over to the weapons rack and grabbed a sword. He tossed it with a little difficulty to Ye. Ye easily caught it, peering at Zhou.
"You're proficient with the sword. You yourself said that I am at Mastery Rank 2 late-stage. So let's spar," Zhou said, taking his stance about 3 meters from Ye. Ye sighed and put the trident in his other hand down, facing Zhou.
"Fine, but do not think that I will go easy on you just because you are my friend," Ye warned. Zhou got into a ready fighting stance, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"I'd expect nothing less, er gege," Zhou said. Ye rolled his eyes and also got into a fighting stance. An unspoken agreement started their fight. Zhou immediately dashed forward, his figure a blur. He thrust his pole out, aiming for Ye's liver.
"Too slow," Ye said, easily dodging it. He swung his sword at Zhou's chest. Zhou's robes got sliced as he barely managed to dodge, the tiredness from his practice before catching up to him. Ye swung again, this time downward. Zhou stepped to the side, swinging his pole at Ye again.
"Good strength," Ye complimented, but easily blocking the attack with his sword. Zhou frowned, going to jab Ye again. Ye raised his sword to block it.
"Don't use the same move twi-" Ye was cut off as Zhou's foot slammed into the side of his ribcage, cutting off his words. Ye gasped in pain as he held his side, grimacing. Zhou grinned gleefully.
"I got the first hit, just like you taught me to," Zhou said. Ye huffed and brandished his sword, leaping at Zhou. With a couple of moves, Ye had subdued Zhou. Zhou's weapon had been hit to the side, Ye's sword at Zhou's throat.
"Do not pause in a real fight. A single second is all it takes to lose a battle," Ye said, lowering the sword. Zhou nodded, picking up his pole.
"Hello, that was an impressive fight,"
"Hello, Gong!" Zhou called, waving at him. Brother Gong waved back.
"Is something wrong?" Zhou asked. Brother Gong didn't look like he was his normal self.
"Yeah, something happened," Brother Gong confirmed.
"What happened?" Zhou asked.
"Brother Feng's mother has gone missing. His father's mistress was also found dead," Brother Gong explained. Ye snapped to attention, looking at Brother Gong with concentrated eyes.
"Was it an assassination or murder?" Ye asked. Brother Gong shrugged his shoulders.
"Is Brother Feng okay?" Zhou asked.
"He's definitely being angry about it, but other than that, he's being the same obnoxious self," Brother Gong replied.
"Isn't that a bit mean to say that about someone whose parent is missing?" Zhou asked. Brother Gong snorted.
"Listen, I went to talk to him and he basically threw me out. He was really rude, even though his mom is just missing," Brother Gong said.
"Still, saying things like that is a mean," Zhou said.
"Whatever," Brother Gong said dismissively. Ye looked between them, noticing the awkward tension between the two.
"How is Brother Feng's father?" Ye asked, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere.
"His father is Feng Huan, right? The one who is said to have more than a dozen wives?" Zhou asked, tapping his chin.
"You two don't know?" Brother Gong asked, his eyebrow raising.
"Don't know what?"
"Feng Huan isn't Brother Feng's biological father. Brother Feng's father ran off before he was born, even his mother doesn't know who the father is. He's a bastard child,"
~~
Brother Feng stared up at his ceiling, thoughts floating through his head. Whenever he tried to grab onto one and concentrate on it, it slipped out of his grasp. He rolled onto his side, sighing.
'Did father do this?' Brother Feng thought. It was the only cohesive thought that he could grasp to.
'But it doesn't make sense. Father seemed to love mother a lot, and he was also affectionate towards the mistress,"
'Maybe the mistress actually killed herself, then father found her body. He then hid the body and made it seem like a murder,"
'How does that connect to my mother though?'
'Maybe my mom saw what father did and was going to report him, but instead, my father took her too. What if she's locked up and is being tortured? Or worse, she's dead?'
Brother Feng sat up and walked over to the window, a bird flying to rest on the railing. Brother Feng saw that a small slip of paper was tied to its leg. He took it off and unfurled it, reading its contents.
'I am okay, Feng Hui. I just have to take care of something.'
Brother Feng scrutinized the paper, his eyes examining the dot of the 'i.'
'Blood?' Brother Feng held the paper towards the sun, looking over the words again. Just as he thought, the dot of the 'i' was bright red, standing out against the white paper and the dark ink.
Brother Feng shoved the note into his pocket, hopping over the railing. He raced into the woods, circulating Qi to his eyes and his legs. He looked around, trying to find traces of spirit.
'Did father kill her? Is she fine? Was she forced to send this to me?' He wondered. All around him, traces of spirit could be seen, but none of them were his mothers'.
'About two weeks ago, just passed through, one week ago.' There were many fresh and old spirits around. He came to an opening, seeing that a spirit had disappeared into the river. He walked over to the river, feeling stifled by the aura of the river.
Brother Feng steeled his nerves, sticking a hand into the river. He quickly pulled his hand out, nearly screaming in pain. His flesh was red and angry, his spirit shield had instantly broken. He broke off a branch from a nearby tree, sticking it into the water. When he lifted it to examine it, his eye twitched. The branch had been dissolved completely, never to be seen again.
'What a powerful river,' he thought. He walked a meter away from the bank of the river, making sure to not get touched by the stray splashes of water. As he walked further, he heard voices- familiar voices.
"First Master, there are still no signs of her," Brother Feng hid behind a bush, peeking out between the spaces of the leaves. He froze when he saw that it was his father. Feng Huan had brought a large group of soldiers. There was even a spirit tracker.
'A spirit tracker, huh? There are no spirit trackers in this city, are they from another city?' Brother Feng thought. He darted away, not wanting to get caught by his father. He walked away from the direction of the soldiers, still keeping to the edge of the river.
'Father faking trying to find my mother,' Brother Feng scoffed, anger causing his heart to shake. He chewed his lip, drawing blood as the iron and copper taste covered his taste buds. He turned his head and spit, a mixture of blood and saliva landing on the ground, right next to something sticking out of the water. Brother Feng squatted down and looked at it, trying to figure out what the disfigured shape was.
'This thing has a spirit?' Brother Feng wondered. He tore off a piece of his robe, covering his hand with it. He grabbed the object and pulled, it being heavier than he thought. After some struggle, he had managed to pull a majority of the object of the river. As he was about to sigh in relief, it got caught in the throat.
'No, this can't be my mom. It's not her spirit,' Brother Feng thought, slowly approaching the dissolved body. He turned it over, his stomach churning at the sight of the disfigured face.
'It can't be her,' Brother Feng reassured himself. A glint in the light caught his eyes as he leaned down to see what it was. His eyes widened as he recognized what it was- a lotus hairpin.
'No, it can't be,' Brother Feng thought. He carefully grabbed the hairpin, staring at it with wet eyes. He turned it over, discovering engraved words on the inside.
'To my beautiful wife, Xinya.'
Brother Feng backed away from the body, pressing the hairpin to his chest. His heart raced, his stomach dropped, his head felt light.
"Mom..." Brother Feng whispered, crawling back towards the body.
"Mom," Brother Feng said louder, pulling the disfigured head into his lap.
"Mom! Please, no!" Brother Feng cried out, his tears falling onto the patches of skin on Xinya's face.
"MOM! WAKE UP! PLEASE!" Brother Feng screamed, his voice hoarse. His chest heaved as he wept, holding the body of his dead mother. His heart hurt and it was like it would rip out straight from his chest. His legs were numb and in pain, but he ignored it even though it felt like a million ants crawling and biting him all over.